Chapter 17

Sitting upright in the bed so quick that he made himself dizzy, Cain held his pounding head with one hand. The events from hours before came rushing back, and he grimaced, feeling embarrassed and ashamed for his breakdown.

The tightly wrapped bandages on his arms caught his attention, and he looked at them for a moment before realizing that Lena or Krystal must have changed them while he slept. Frowning, he threw off the duvet and climbed out of the bed, his attention already focusing on something else.

He returned the chair that he had spent most of his time in for the past week, his dark eyes settling on Abel's resting face. With most of the color returned, he looked so peaceful, as if he had lain down to sleep for only a moment.

With a sigh, Cain picked up the glass of water from the bedside table and held it in one hand, thinking about taking a sip but not acting on it. He tilted the cup back and forth, swishing the water around and making light sloshing noises. His dark gaze followed the liquid as it moved inside of the transparent glass. Setting it back on the nightstand, he watched it swirl until it settled.

Cain jumped in surprise as he felt something touch his knee, and his attention was drawn back to the figure laying in the bed. He stared in dumbfounded shock at the hand that glided across his leg, the fingers grasping at the air as if they were searching for something. The redhead grabbed the hand and intertwined his fingers with it, holding it tightly.

"Abel?" Cain asked hopefully, his eyes wide. "Can you hear me?"

The only sound was that of their quiet breathing. After what felt like a lifetime but couldn't have been more than a moment, Abel's mouth slowly moved in response.

"… Yes."

A long sigh slipped from Cain's lips. His mind was blank; after a week of feeling so helpless and numb, sparks of happiness were blossoming in his mind and he was unsure how to react. Gripping Abel's hand in between both of his, he felt the warmth radiating from it.

Abel's eyes fluttered opened for a moment, but closed from the sudden light. He opened them again slowly, adjusting to the change in contrast. His body felt weak, but he managed to give Cain's hand a gentle squeeze. Attempting to lean up in the bed, he put his weight on his elbows; with the additional support of Cain lifting his back, he was able to lean against the headboard. Out of breath already from only that bit of movement, he exhaled heavily.

"How are you feeling?" Relief was obvious in Cain's voice, and he didn't bother trying to hide his excitement. A small part of him wanted to run to get Lena or Krystal, but he didn't want to risk leaving Abel alone; one of the healers would probably be around soon, anyway.

"Tired." Abel answered simply. He realized that Cain was still gripping his hand, but didn't pull away; the warmth was strangely comforting. Reaching up with his free hand, he rubbed his head tenderly. "Did I fall off my horse?"

An incredulous laugh spilled from Cain's lips, but there was no bitterness in it. Tired! After two weeks of sleep, what an answer!

Suddenly remembering Lena's warning, Cain's expression sobered. "What's the last thing you remember?" He asked carefully.

Still gently rubbing his temple, Abel's expression wrinkled in thought. "I was on patrol… No, you were there too," he murmured, trying to remember. He shrugged his shoulders after a moment of silence. "Straight from the forest to here. I must have hit my head pretty hard, huh?" He smiled innocently at Cain.

An incredible sigh of relief came from Cain. Honestly, the redhead had hoped that Abel would have no recollection of the incident at all, and it appeared the Gods had the mercy to grant him at least that. He wouldn't wish his dark memories of the ordeal on his worst enemy, least of all Abel.

Awkwardly chuckling along with Cain's laughing outburst, Abel turned his head to the side to see him better. He suddenly frowned; there were dark lines on Cain's face and neck, half-healed wounds from lacerations that Abel didn't know happened. Looking down, he noticed the freshly wrapped bandages around the redhead's forearms. A sick feeling stirred in his stomach, and he had a feeling that a bit more had happened than just a falling accident. "What happened?"

Cain shook his head, unconcerned with his own healing scars. "You just… Like you said, you fell off your horse," he insisted.

Abel was about to question a bit further when the shadow of a person fell into the room. Lena peered into the room, her face a mixture of surprise and relief at seeing the green-haired cavalier awake and sitting up. Krystal followed her a moment later, her expression the same.

Krystal approached the side of the bed, guilt mixing into her relieved eyes. "It's good to see you awake," she said finally, bowing politely.

Not intending to be rude, Abel nodded his head in response, but his face showed no signs of recognition.

"When Abel hit his head—" Cain stressed the words to get the message across the healers— "he lost the memories of what happened. Abel, this is Krystal."

"Charmed," Abel nodded again, but the movement disturbed his head and he winced; he instinctively squeezed Cain's hand to cope with the sudden burst of discomfort.

Krystal flinched as she saw Abel, even two weeks later, still in pain. "I'll call on the Prince," she mumbled, lowering her eyes and turning quickly out of the room to fetch Marth.

Noticing Abel's reaction, Lena scooted close the bed. "Excuse me," she murmured to Cain, needing to work exactly in the spot that he was taking up.

Slowly and reluctantly, Cain let go of Abel's hand for the first time since he had woken up. Moving out of Lena's way, he hovered just behind her, staring at Abel.

Abel stared back, burning with questions, but he kept silent. Cain felt a pang of guilt; he'd never hidden anything from Abel, but now was not the time to tell him the whole truth. The green-haired man's body relaxed as Lena poured magic into it, the sparks dancing across his dark skin and easing his terrible headache.

Krystal returned shortly, followed by Prince Marth and a couple other soldiers who were curious as to Abel's condition. Jagen and Merric stood in the doorway to avoid crowding inside of the room, but they gave warm greetings to the awakened cavalier.

Abel desperately wanted to ask what was really going on; none of this commotion would happen if he had merely knocked his head, and a simple bump wouldn't make his head ache as it did so. Still, he trusted that his comrades would tell him when the time was right, so he kept his questions to himself.

"Sorry to cause such a mess, Sire," Abel apologized to Marth; he would had nodded respectfully, but his aching head hurt too much to move.

The prince shook his head and smiled. "I'm just relieved to see you're alright," he said informally. "We all are." He cast a glance towards Cain, who was hovering as close as possible to Abel without literally climbing onto the bed with him.

"Well, I—ah!" Abel suddenly let out a small yell, cringing as he gripped his throbbing head. His mind was growing fuzzy, and he couldn't think straight. Cain was immediately concerned, and he looked desperately at Lena and Krystal.

"He shouldn't be dealing with this much activity just after waking," Lena murmured, just loud enough for Marth to hear.

Nodding, the prince ushered the curious soldiers out of the room where they dispersed. Hesitating for a moment, the blue-haired noble beckoned for Krystal to join him in the hall. The door shut quietly behind them as they exited.

Cain didn't notice their absence; his attention was glued to Abel. He felt sick to his stomach; every time he saw the green-haired man cringe, all he could think of was that terrible night when Abel's screams echoed through the halls of that dreadful tower. Cain shivered, trying not to remember it, but every time he closed his eyes he saw the image of his partner, his best friend, slumped lifeless on the ground.

Wrenching his eyes open, Cain realized that Abel had slipped back down into the bed, his breathing steady and silent. Lena had her hand on his forehead, alleviating the pain in his temple and easing him back into a peaceful sleep.

Reaching out slowly, Cain rested his palm gently on Abel's chest. After a moment, he felt the rhythmic thumping of Abel's heart. He held his hand there for a moment, wanting to feel happy for the green-haired man's waking but already missing him in his slumbering absence.

Cain didn't realize that tears had begun to brim and spill in his eyes until Lena wiped them away with her sleeve, startling him.

"He'll be fine," Lena reassured him, her voice calm and soothing. "It's your turn for some rest now." The dark circles under Cain's eyes made her worried.

To her surprise, he nodded slowly in agreement. "Very well. But… May I just stay a moment longer?" Cain's weary eyes never left Abel's sleeping face.

Lena felt a pang of pity, but a bit of understanding was beginning to blossom in her mind. The way Cain looked at Abel was a familiar and beautiful sight, and a small smile spread on her face.

"Alright. But just a moment."